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14:53, 10-Oct-2017
Iceland becomes smallest country to qualify for the World Cup
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Iceland became the smallest nation ever to progress to a World Cup, after beating Kosovo 2-0 to win their qualifying group for Russia 2018 on Monday.
The Euro 2016 quarter-finalists, who knocked out England in the last 16, come from a country with a population of around 335,000. The next smallest country to have qualified for the tournament is Trinidad and Tobago in 2006, with a population of 1.3 million.
Iceland's players celebrate in Reykjavik. /VCG Photo
Iceland's players celebrate in Reykjavik. /VCG Photo
Everton midfielder Gylfi Sigurdsson scored the opener six minutes before the break, giving Iceland a 1-0 lead.
After the interval, Sigurdsson set up the second when he crossed to Johann Gudmundsson for a tap-in. The 2-0 victory saw Iceland earn automatic qualification to Russia 2018, coming ahead of Croatia and Ukraine in Group I.
After the game, captain Aron Gunnarsson led the crowd in a chant that has become synonymous with the country, in which players and fans yell and clap their hands in a rhythmic crescendo that is likened to a Viking war cry.
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